Operation New Year's Eve Kiss
by Orange-Green
Summary: Santana is away for the holidays but Brittany is determined to spend New Year's Eve with her.


A/N - Just a silly story I couldn't get out of my head. All mistakes are mine, my apologies in advance. Rated T for a Santana not being afraid to drop a few F-bombs. Sorry if the traveling is completely unrealistic but then again, it's Brittany.

It was December 30th and Brittany and Artie were seated at Breadstix and chatting softly. School was out for Christmas vacation and they were discussing their plans for New Years Eve. Artie had just invited her over to his house for the family New Year's Eve party.

"Besides woman," he said with his typical grin, "how else will I get my kiss at midnight?"

"What's so important about a kiss at midnight?" Brittany asked blandly. "Are you like a pumpkin or something from that story with the singing mice?"

Artie shook his head, his smile fading slightly. "Um, no, I'm not a pumpkin Britt. But haven't you ever heard of kissing at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve?"

Her blonde ponytail swung gently from side to side as she shook her head and confusion flashed across her face. "But why just at midnight? Santana and I used to kiss all the time, not just once at midnight."

"Well," Artie said smiling again, fighting down the flare of jealousy at the mention of Santana, "tradition says that whoever you kiss at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve is who you'll be with the rest of the year. And no one else. If you kiss one person at midnight on New Year's Eve, you're not allowed to kiss anyone else. It's the rule."

"Oh." Brittany replied frowning. "So the party is tomorrow night?"

Artie nodded and smiled. "My mom can come pick you up if you want. It'll be fun I promise. And then after we kiss at midnight, we'll be together all year. Just you and me."

Brittany smiled softly. "I'll let you know. I should check with my parents first."

The remainder of the evening passed uneventfully and a short time later Brittany was back in her bedroom. Her brow was furrowed and she was pacing her room thinking back over her conversation with Artie.

"No sweet lady kisses for a whole year?" she muttered miserably.

Surely Santana wasn't aware of this rule or she wouldn't have left Brittany to go visit her grandparents. Things had been a little awkward between the two of them since the lizard incident and Brittany had started officially dating Artie, but the blonde was certain Santana would be just as upset about giving up sweet lady kisses as she was. If she could just remember where Santana's grandparents lived.

Brittany continued to pace but finally pulled out her phone and scrolled down looking for her friend's number.

"Hey B." Quinn said in greeting. "What's up?"

"Quinn, where did Santana go?" Brittany asked almost frantic.

Quinn chuckled softly. "Don't worry Britt, she's not lost. She went to visit her grandparents in Orlando, Florida, remember? She'll be back on Sunday."

"Sunday…What day is tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Friday B. And Sunday is two days after that." Quinn replied, still smiling.

"But Sunday is after New Years Eve." Brittany replied. "If she's not back tomorrow I won't get any sweet lady kisses for a whole year!"

"Wait…what?" Quinn asked, once again having difficulty following her friend's logic. "And eww by the way, I don't need details about what you two do. Brittany, what are you talking about?"

Brittany sighed and slumped down onto her bed. "The midnight kiss! Quinn, you have to kiss at midnight or you don't get any kisses for a whole year. And something about a pumpkin. Artie's a pumpkin maybe? I can't remember."

Quinn laughed softly. "Britt, I'm pretty sure Artie is not a pumpkin." A beeping interrupted her conversation and she looked down to see Sam calling as well. "Hey B, I gotta go ok? Don't worry about Artie turning into a pumpkin ok?"

"Wait, Quinn, what direction is Florida from Ohio?" Brittany asked quickly.

"Um…south B. Florida is south."

"Ok, thanks Quinn! Tell Sam hello and that I really need my cherry Chapstick back, it's my favorite."

"Ok B, I'll tell him. Goodnight!" Quinn replied chuckling. She shook her head slightly as she clicked over to answer her boyfriend's call.

xxxx

Brittany grabbed her piggy bank and with a slight cringe and apology to "Sir Oinksalot" as she had named the bank, she dropped it down on the hardwood floor, smashing it to pieces. She quickly began gathering the money she had stuffed inside the bank over the last few months. She counted, and then recounted when she couldn't remember if the paper was worth more than the shiny ones and eventually just gathered it all up and shoved the money into her pockets.

"Sorry again Oinks but you understand. I can't go a whole year without sweet lady kisses! I'll try to fix you when I get back." She said softly, patting what was left of his nose.

Brittany rushed out the door of her home and ran downtown. She wasn't quite certain how to get to Florida but surely someone would be going that way. Didn't old people and birds go south for the winter? Brittany glanced around and saw a man walking toward her.

"Excuse me, Sir?" She said with a bright smile. "If you wanted to get out of town, how would you do it…if you couldn't drive I mean."

The man tilted his head to the side and eyed her thoughtfully. "I suppose I'd try the Greyhound bus station right around the corner over there." He replied.

"Yeah, ok. A bus. I used to ride one of those to school until Santana got a car and then she said the bus was for losers but I guess I'm a little desperate. Does the bus go south?"

"Well, yes, I'm sure there's a bus going south. Miss, is everything alright?" The man questioned.

Brittany had already turned and headed toward the bus station but turned back to the man with a smile and a wave. "Thanks for your help! I'm going to Florida to get my midnight kiss!"

As Brittany faded from sight the man simply shook his head and continued on his way.

xxxx

"Sir, how far south will this get me?" Brittany asked dumping her money onto the counter at the bus station.

The old man scratched his head and began sifting through the money. "Well let's see here Miss, you've got $67.84. That'll get ya to Nashville, Tennessee or Raleigh, North Carolina. Either of those interest you?"

Brittany frowned. "How much further to Orlando Florida? That's where I'm going."

"From here to Orlando, Florida will cost you $149.60. You're a little short Miss." He replied with a sad smile.

"I'm taller than Santana." Brittany replied with a frown. "Well, which is closer to Orlando, Nashleigh or Ralville?"

"I'd go to Raleigh and then hop on I-95 all the way to Florida. Then you can just get onto I-4 and that'll take you right into Orlando." The man said looking over a map with lines written all over it. "You can get to Orlando from Raleigh in a day or so. But how do you plan on getting the rest of the way there?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll figure it out." Brittany said with a confident smile. "I'll take one ticket to Ral…E? Please."

"Alright Miss." He said scooping up the money and printing out a ticket. "The next bus to Raleigh is leaving in about an hour and will get you there around 7:00 tomorrow morning."

Brittany smiled as she took her ticket and wandered out to find her bus. She managed to get onto the right bus with a little help from the bag lady feeding the pigeons and she was on her way. At 7:00 the next morning, she stretched with a yawn and stepped off the bus in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"This place is a lot bigger than Lima." She said looking around. Brittany wandered down a few streets and squealed happily when she saw a sign with the word "South" and the numbers "9" and "5" written on it. She walked following the cars onto the onramp and waved when one was nice enough to honk at her.

"I'm almost there San. I won't let us go a whole year with no kisses."

xxxx

Santana stretched as she lounged by the pool at her grandparents' home. She loved them, she really did, but spending New Years Eve with her parents and grandparents was not exactly her ideal situation. She groaned as she thought back to last New Year's Eve and the party Puck had thrown.

Brittany had been dressed in a short black dress with her hair flowing freely; she was beautiful. She was practically bouncing as they all shouted the countdown along with the TV. And just as the clock struck midnight, Santana pinned her against the wall and kissed her. It was one of the best kisses Santana could remember ever giving or receiving.

No such luck this year she thought with a groan. Not only was Brittany hours away in Ohio, she was with Artie. And probably had plans of spending New Year's Eve with him.

Artie. Santana couldn't keep the scowl off her face at the thought of him. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that he was nice to Brittany but she didn't like the way he spoke to her as if she were a four year old. Brittany was sweet and naïve but she wasn't a child. And the fact that he treated her like a child and then had no problem having sex with her honestly kind of creeped Santana out a bit.

But Brittany seemed happy. And as much as Santana hated to admit it, that was what she really cared about most. She messed up her relationship with Brittany and she now had to face the consequences. Santana finally realized her true feelings for her best friend but it was too late. She loved the blonde but was determined that she wouldn't hurt her any further and would stay out of her relationship with the four-wheeler.

The sound of her phone buzzing broke Santana from her reverie. Quinn's number flashed on the screen.

"Hey Bristol P. Happy New Year's Eve."

"_Santana!_ Oh my God, San have you heard from Brittany?"

Santana almost dropped the phone at Quinn's greeting. "Jesus, Quinn, you almost shattered my eardrum, let alone the speaker on my phone. What the hell? What do you mean have I heard from Brittany?"

"I should have known something was up!" Quinn continued. "She asked which direction Florida was from Ohio and she was upset about some midnight pumpkin…"

"Quinn!" Santana shouted, pulling herself upright on the lounge chair. "What is going on? Where's Brittany?"

The silence from the other end of the line caused Santana's stomach to drop. "Q?"

"I think she's on her way to Florida." Quinn said softly.

"_What_?" Santana yelled. "Are you serious? She's on her way here, alone? Quinn, what the hell is going on? I swear to God you better start from the beginning and tell me what's happened."

"Well," Quinn said finally catching her breath. "Her parents got home late last night and didn't bother checking to see if she was there. This morning when they didn't hear anything they went to check on her and they found her piggy bank smashed and all the money gone. Her bed hadn't been slept in and none of us have seen her. We've tried calling her but she's not picking up."

"She busted Sir Oinksalot?" Santana interrupted. "She loves that pig. So what makes you think she's headed here?"

"She called me yesterday upset and asked where you were. I just assumed she forgot and thought you had gotten lost or something. When I told her you were visiting family in Florida, she asked what direction Florida is from Ohio. She said something about needing a kiss at midnight or someone turning into a pumpkin."

Santana was having trouble catching her breath. Brittany alone somewhere between Orlando and Lima was nothing but trouble. "Well…are people looking for her? Who's looking? What's being done?"

"The police are saying they can't get involved until she's been gone 24 hours. They don't know her and don't realize there's reason to be worried. Brittany gets lost at school, how is she going to find her way to Orlando?"

"Oh God." Santana muttered. "I have to do something. I have to try to find her."

"Hang on." Quinn said quickly. "I'm getting another call, it's my mom and maybe she's heard something."

Santana kept the phone to her ear waiting for Quinn to switch back over. She paced and nibbled her fingernail almost frantically. Coach Sylvester would be pissed if she saw the state of her nails but Santana couldn't care.

"San." Quinn said softly when she returned to Santana's line. "She bought a bus ticket last night. She only had enough money to get to Raleigh, North Carolina but the man who sold her the ticket said he remembered her vividly. She told him she was on her way to Orlando."

"Quinn, Raleigh is nowhere near Orlando." Santana groaned. "Shit!"

"Everything is going to be fine Santana." Quinn tried to reassure. "The bus arrived in Raleigh this morning and the man said he told her what roads to take to get there so maybe if we just stick to looking along there we'll find her."

Santana clenched her jaw in an attempt to keep her temper in check. "Quinn," she seethed. "She can't remember her locker combination, how is she going to remember an interstate number? This is bad. This is so fucking bad!"

xxxx

"Thanks for the ride!" Brittany called waving as the truck pulled away.

She had been walking for what seemed like hours when a flatbed truck with chickens in cages on the back pulled to a stop alongside her. The man seemed nice enough and looked oddly like Coach Beiste if she had a beard so Brittany saw no harm in hopping into the truck with him. He informed her he was heading south and would be happy to take her as far as he could before he had to turn off and head west somewhere in South Carolina.

Brittany thought that if Santana was somewhere south, surely a ride to South Carolina was in the right direction so she gladly accepted the ride. Now, here she was, almost to Georgia and having a grand time. The man with the chickens had bought her breakfast before they parted ways and she was happily trudging along with a full belly.

As she walked her thoughts suddenly turned to Artie. She forgot to give him an answer to his party invitation. Brittany stopped walking long enough to fish her phone out of her pocket. She frowned when she realized the ringer had been turned off and she had 27 missed calls and texts. Since the phone had been on all night, the battery was getting low so she decided she only had time to place the call to Artie. The messages would have to wait.

"Hey Artie." Brittany said cheerfully when he picked up.

"Brittany?" he exclaimed. "Oh my God, where are you? Everyone is looking for you! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Brittany replied, confused. "Why wouldn't I be? Listen, I'm really sorry but I'm not going to be able to come to your party tonight. It was sweet of you to invite me but I'm out of town."

"Where are you Brittany? You can't just wander off without telling anyone. Your parents are freaking out, Quinn is freaking out, and I'm sure she's called Santana by now. Where are you?"

"I knew I was forgetting something. I meant to leave a note. I'm going to Florida to find Santana. I can't not see her on New Year's Eve, I just can't. I hope you understand Artie."

"Brittany," Artie replied in exasperation. "It's fine. But where are you? You can't just wander around the country alone. Do you even know what part of Florida Santana is in?"

Brittany smirked and nodded her head but then remembered Artie couldn't see her. "Yeah, she's where the Disney characters live. It starts with an O or something. I'll just go there and find her. It's no big deal Artie. Well, my battery is dying; will you call my mom and dad and let them know I'm ok? But don't tell Santana I'm coming, I want it to be a surprise. Bye!"

"Wait, no Britt…" Artie sighed as the line was disconnected.

xxxx

"Well, have you heard anything?" Santana asked Quinn a while later.

Quinn cleared her throat. "Well, apparently Rachel's dads pulled some strings and the police are finally involved. They've sent pictures of her out and patrols are out all along the interstate looking for her. A guy in a diner in South Carolina thinks he saw her come in sometime late this morning and order breakfast. But she wasn't alone. She was with some guy driving a truck with chicken coops on the back."

"She's with a serial killer. Oh my God Quinn, this guy is going to kill her! Oh my God, oh my God."

"Santana!" Quinn chided. "Why would he buy her breakfast if he was just going to kill her. I'm sure she's fine! The police are looking for the guy, how many trucks with chicken coops on the back could there be? Wait, I'm getting another call. It's Artie, hang on."

Santana again paced waiting for Quinn to return. She was inside her grandparents' house and her mother was hovering worriedly. Mr. and Mrs. Lopez had quickly begun making calls to attempt to locate the wayward blonde as well.

"Well?" Santana asked as soon as Quinn returned.

"Artie just talked to her a little while ago! She said she's fine but he couldn't get her to say where she is. And her phone is dying." She ended quietly.

"Of course it is." Santana muttered. "Quinn what is she thinking? Why would she just take off like that?"

"She's trying to get to you San." Quinn said softly. "She seems determined to spend her New Year's Eve with you. She told Artie that she just had to see you tonight. Brittany loves you Santana."

Santana felt tears sting her eyes and she swallowed thickly. "I swear Quinn, if anything happens to her…"

"I know, San, I know. I'll call back as soon as I have an update."

"Thanks." Santana whispered, wiping the tears that had escaped.

xxxx

The late afternoon sun was bearing down on Brittany as she continued her trek south. The south sure was hot compared to Ohio in December. She wished she had thought to ask the nice chicken man for an extra bottle of water for the trip.

She spotted a small gas station in the distance and decided to stop off and ask how much further she had to go. A short time later, she trudged into the station turning the heads of the three men inside.

"Um, hello." She said timidly. "I was wondering if you could tell me how much further the walk is to Florida?"

A greasy man in overalls eyed her up and down wide-eyed. The name "Gus" was sewn into the top of the dirty overalls. "Let me get this straight." He said slowly. "You're walkin' all the way to Florida? From here?"

Brittany nodded. "Well, from Ohio really. I'm trying to get to where the Disney princesses live. I have to find my bestie Santana. It's New Year's Eve and I have to find her before midnight or else I won't be allowed to kiss her again for a whole year. It's like a rule or something."

The three men in the station shared a glance before laughing out loud. "You're kiddin' us right?" The older man asked with a wide grin.

Brittany shook her head and shifted from one foot to the other.

They stopped laughing as she eyed the floor in front of her and realized she was in fact serious. "Sweetheart, you can't walk all the way to Florida! That'll take days!" exclaimed Gus.

Brittany groaned. "Days? I don't have days. I just have today. I have to get to Santana tonight, I have to!"

The men awkwardly shifted as tears began to slip down her cheeks. Finally, Gus cleared his throat and patted her shoulder gently. "Now, now Miss. Don't cry. I was just about to head out and tow a car that broke down about an hour south of here. You can ride along with me that far, what do ya say?"

Brittany sniffled and looked up. "Is it on the way to Florida?"

Chuckling, Gus nodded. "Yep, right on the way."

She smiled and threw her arms around the man. "Thanks so much! Do you think I could have a bottle of water? The south is hot."

Brittany waved goodbye to the men left in the station as she and Gus pulled out heading further south, water bottle in hand.

xxxx

Santana was at a loss. She wanted to jump in her parents' car and go look for Brittany herself but she didn't have the first idea where to start. Quinn hadn't had any new updates on Brittany other than a few calls that a blonde had been spotted walking along Interstate 95 heading south. That was hours ago.

Her parents had been in contact with the police in Lima and officers who had been assigned to the case of locating Brittany. Santana had at first insisted on driving up the interstate looking for her but her parents had convinced her that she should stay put on the off chance that Brittany did in fact make it to Orlando.

They assured her that officers were patrolling up and down the highway looking for any sign of her. Finally, later that afternoon, word arrived that a blonde had walked into a small gas station asking about walking to Florida. The police questioned a man named Gus who claimed he drove her and dropped her off a few hours away from the Florida state line.

Santana wanted to find the man and kick him for letting a young blonde girl wander off alone. He said she insisted on heading further south and that she had to get to the town where the Disney princesses lived.

Santana couldn't help but be pleased that Brittany did actually recognize that Orlando was home to Disney World. It was more than she had expected the blonde to be aware of. She glanced out the window and realized the sun would be setting soon and the thought of Brittany alone in the dark made her heart clench painfully.

xxxx

Brittany stretched her tired legs and yawned. She immediately perked up at the sight of a road sign with a word that looked a lot like Florida written on it. It flew past her window too quickly for her to actually read it for sure.

"Are we in Florida?" She asked excitedly, turning to her latest traveling companions.

The young man chuckled and his wife turned around in her seat to give Brittany a smile. "Yes hun, we are. Have been for about an hour now. You've really been sound asleep."

Their young daughter giggled. Brittany had been trudging along the interstate again when a car pulled over in front of her. The young couple took in the sight of her and couldn't simply drive on without stopping to be certain the blonde wasn't in need of help. Brittany couldn't believe her luck when they informed her that they were heading to Orlando, Florida and would be happy to give her a ride.

Brittany glanced out the window again and frowned at the dark sky. "What time is it? I have to find Santana by midnight. Am I going to make it in time?"

Jim chuckled again and smiled at Kathy, his wife. "We're set to be in Orlando by around 10:00pm. That gives you two whole hours to find her. Do you know what her address is?"

Brittany scrunched her nose. "Just wherever the Disney people live I guess. I'll find her there."

"You're going to see the Disney princesses?" Grace, their five year old daughter, exclaimed. "Me too! Which one is your favorite?"

Brittany smiled. "I like Pocahontas. She reminds me of Santana with her dark hair. I can't wait to see her! She's like my own Disney princess. She takes care of me and helps me find my classes and opens my locker at school. She's amazing."

"I like Pocahontas too." Grace said smiling. "And your Santana sounds nice. I also like the one with the wooden boy and the cricket."

"Oh yeah," Brittany said nodding. "I know the one. I wonder if that cricket is the same one that reads to me at night."

Grace giggled. Neither saw the puzzled looks her parents exchanged in the front seat of the car.

A while later, a little before 10:00pm actually, Brittany jerked awake as the car came to a stop. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

"Are we here?" she asked sleepily.

Jim opened her door and reached for her hand to pull her out of the car. She was practically bouncing at the thought of seeing Santana soon. When she stepped out of the car her excitement faded into confusion.

"This can't be right! This isn't where the Disney princesses live. I've seen it on TV."

"Brittany," Jim said softly. "We can't just let you wander around Orlando alone. This is the police station; they'll help you get home."

"What? No, I don't want to go home. I have to find Santana!" She exclaimed. "I came all this way, I have to find her!"

"Honey, just let us take you inside and maybe they'll help you find her." Kathy said stepping toward her.

"No they won't." Brittany said stepping away. "They'll make me go home. Coach Sylvester said to never trust the police. She knows; she was in the special something marine force. Or something. I'm not going in there!"

They both took another step toward her, reaching to try to restrain her but Grace swung the back door open blocking them. "Run Brittany!" she yelled. "Run find Santana!"

Brittany barely glanced back over her shoulder before she turned and ran full speed away. She was out of sight before Jim or Kathy could register what had happened.

xxxx

"San!" Quinn exclaimed as soon as Santana picked up. "She's in Orlando! She actually made it!"

"What?" Santana yelled, jumping to her feet. "Where is she? Is she ok?"

"Well…"

Santana growled. "Well what Quinn? Where is she?"

"We don't know where she is. She bolted when some couple she was riding with tried to get her to go into a police station with them." Quinn explained.

"Let me get this straight. She made it all the way to Orlando from Lima, Ohio riding with God knows who and then these people freaked her out and now she's lost all over again? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the situation. But Coach Sylvester is rounding up a helicopter from one of her Special Forces buddies and they'll be searching from the air too." She said softly. "But hey, she managed to get herself safely all the way down there. Brittany is going to be just fine! She's one determined girl Santana. Apparently she's told everyone how she's coming to find you where the Disney princesses live. I hope you…"

"That's it!" Santana interrupted with a shout. "I know where she's going! Disney World, of course. The only thing she knows about Orlando is Disney World. She's headed there; I know it! I'll call you when I find her!"

Santana snapped the phone shut and jumped from the table. She grabbed the keys to her parents' car and rushed outside before they could stop her.

xxxx

Brittany ran until she couldn't run any more. She could see the huge castle in the distance but when she reached the gate surrounding it, she couldn't get in. The gate was locked. Who locked the gate to the Disney house? Wasn't it supposed to be open to everyone, all the time?

Brittany felt tears threatening again as she looked at the castle in the distance. She didn't know what time it was but it had to be close to midnight. She didn't reach Santana in time. She would be forced to spend the next year without any sweet lady kisses. And now, since she skipped out on Artie, she wouldn't have him either. She had chosen Santana over the stability that was Artie and now she didn't have either of them.

Brittany closed her eyes and sighed. She knew she had now lost Artie but she knew she wouldn't have done anything differently. Any chance with Santana was better than stability with Artie. He was nice, but he wasn't Santana.

Tears streamed down her face as she limped away.

xxxx

Santana slammed the car in park and jumped out. The lack of a crowd didn't register until she reached the locked gates.

"What? Are you fucking kidding me? One of the biggest holidays of the year and Disney World is fucking closed? Shit."

Santana sank to the ground in defeat. She glanced at her phone, no missed calls. The clock read 11:48pm, twelve minutes until midnight. Santana pulled herself to her feet and walked slowly to her car. Before slipping back into the driver seat she glanced over her shoulder one last time hoping for a glimpse of blonde hair.

Instead she saw a lone hill off a ways in the distance that overlooked the park. She could see a tree and what she assumed was a picnic bench at the very top of the hill. It looked like it would be a beautiful spot. _Just the sort of spot Brittany would love,_ Santana thought to herself.

Her eyes widened and she took off running at a full sprint.

"Brittany!"

Santana raced up the hill. At the sight of tousled blonde hair and a slim form curled under the tree, Santana felt a sob escape her throat. Brittany was sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and her arms clasped tightly around her legs. Her head was resting on her knees. Santana inched her way forward.

"Britt? Baby?"

The sound of Santana's voice startled the blonde and she jerked. Her blue eyes were teary and Santana could make out the tearstains down her cheeks. Brittany hiccupped through her sobs.

"San?" she whispered.

And in an instant, Santana rushed and gathered the blonde into her arms, holding her tightly.

"Brittany, oh my God, I'm so glad you're ok!" she cried. "You scared me. What where you thinking?"

Santana pulled away slightly, not willing to completely release the blonde but brushed hair away from her forehead. Brittany was struggling to catch her breath and control her tears.

"I…I had to find you San." She whimpered. "Artie said whoever you kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve is who you kiss for the rest of the year and you're not allowed to kiss anyone else. I can't go a whole year without your sweet lady kisses San, I can't! I know you don't want to come to my window or make lady babies and I won't push you anymore I promise! I won't even complain when you leave me for Puck. Just please San, please; can we be best friends again? I miss you. I love you and I'll take whatever you'll give me."

"Shut up B." Santana whispered.

Brittany blinked. She dropped her head and felt rejection wash over her. But then she felt Santana gently thumb away her tears and she looked up into brown eyes, also filling with tears.

"You have about 10 seconds to kiss me if you expect to do this thing by midnight." Santana said softly.

Brittany's eyes widened and she threw her arms around the Latina, crashing their lips together. When they finally pulled apart only for the necessity of oxygen, both girls were a little dazed. Santana grinned and pulled her phone up to show Brittany the time. 12:02am.

"You did it B. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year San." Brittany said smiling.

Santana gazed into her bright blue eyes and felt her heart clench again. She felt as if she couldn't pull enough air into her lungs. "I love you Brittany." She whispered. "I love you."

Brittany's smile turned sad. "You don't have to say that San. I meant what I said. I'll take whatever you'll let me have. I won't force you to give up Puck or all your other rocks. I just missed you and I know I can't be without you anymore."

"No, Britt." Santana said, her resolve strengthening. "I mean it. I love you. And I'm so sorry I hurt you. I swear, if you give me another chance, I'll make it up to you. Let me make you happy B, please. I love you."

Brittany just stared, wide-eyed. As her mouth dropped open to speak, Santana quickly continued. "Besides," she said smiling. "You were my New Year's Eve kiss too ya know. I'm not allowed to kiss anyone else all year anyway. So…it looks like we're stuck with each other. If you want…"

The brightest smile Santana could recall ever seeing split Brittany's face. And then they were kissing again and Santana was certain her heart would explode from happiness.

"San," Brittany groaned once they pulled apart again. "Can you carry me to the car? It's a long walk to Florida from Lima and my legs hurt worse than that time Coach made us run after she caught us in the showers."

xxxx

"So how exactly _did_ you get all the way to Florida on your own?" Quinn asked the next day. Coach Sylvester had allowed her to travel with Brittany's parents in the Cheerio's jet once they realized the blonde had been located. The exhausted cheerio had slept until late in the afternoon with Santana never leaving her side.

Brittany just grinned and snuggled closer into Santana's side on the bed. The Latina wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Well," Brittany said with a giggle. "First I rode a gray dog from the bus station and then a chicken truck picked me up. And then a man named Gus took me with him to pick up another car and finally, a married couple drove me the rest of the way. But they tried to arrest me at the police station but their daughter Grace helped me break out and make a run for it."

Quinn shook her head and chuckled softly. She would have to learn to stop being surprised by anything where Brittany was concerned.

"And then you got your midnight kiss, right?" Santana said softly, still gazing down lovingly at the blonde.

Brittany smiled sweetly. "Yeah. We did." She whispered, her breath catching slightly. The two seemed lost in each other's gazes and forgot Quinn was even in the room with them.

"How are you feeling B? You feeling rested?" Santana asked, her voice turning husky. She shifted slightly so that she was hovering over Brittany, who was licking her lips and grinning slyly.

"Yeah San, I've got loads of energy." She said, pulling Santana down closer.

"Ok then." Quinn squeaked springing from her position on the side of the bed. "I'll just leave you two alone then."

As she pulled the bedroom door closed behind her, Quinn smiled at the sound of the two exchanging "I love you's" tenderly.

Chuckling, she made her way back downstairs, leaving the two alone. "Happy New Year." She said smiling.


End file.
